――First of all, please tell us how the work “ULTRAMAN” started.

Shimizu:The person in charge of "Monthly Hero's" told me, "I have a plan to make Ultraman into a comic. How about it?"
Some of you may know that I like Kamen Rider, but I also really like Ultraman. That's why I thought it would be impossible to recreate the completed work of "Ultraman" without a completely new worldview.

Lower opening:So first, I've been turned down as "absolutely impossible!".
But one day, I suddenly said "I'll do it!" And suddenly asked what happened, and he said, "I want you to do it life-size, not huge." At that time, he was already drawing Ultraman in armor.

Shimizu:The design of the Ultraman suit, which was drawn in about 10 minutes, became the final draft almost as it was. Until then, I had no idea of "life-size Ultraman", so I think I was able to draw at once with my shoulders relaxed.
But in the design of the place of Seven it was now able to see the hell (laughs).

Lower opening:Shimizu has always respected Tohl Narita, who designed Ultraman, so I think Ultraman was a big wall in that sense as well. So when I was listening to it, I was wondering, "I'm afraid to redesign Ultraman, can I really do it !?" From there, I started with the intention of being a complete original ...

Shimizu:Initially, I was planning to have a police officer as the main character, but after that, there were twists and turns and it became "a continuation of the first Ultraman", and I managed to make the setting by twisting my head. It doesn't make sense to reprint it, and because it's my favorite work, I'm prepared to do it with the intention of destroying Ultraman once ...

Lower opening:The point is that drawing in life size means "denying the hugeness of Ultraman" = "destroying". At the time of the concept of "fighting in a life-sized suit", it will naturally be repelled by orthodox fans, and in the truest sense, he himself loves the huge Ultraman, so that is a dilemma. But (laughs).

Shimizu:The same goes for "Why should it be huge?", But if I was bound by preconceptions like "Isn't Ultraman like this?", I thought I could never draw a life-sized Ultraman.

Lower opening:In that sense, to be honest, "the other man did not want to do," because, I was quite one of the main reasons is in us.

Shimizu:Because if other people draw "Life-size Ultraman", I will definitely deny it (laughs).

Lower opening:I thought I would be criticized as "What is Ultraman even though it doesn't become huge!", And I think we would have criticized it if it was a third party (laughs). That's why I Ultraman, "We have to do this project, and we can't let other people do it." ..
Besides, what makes Ultraman an Ultraman is not just the element of enormous growth. For example, there is a well-established style in both story and design, and by solidifying a part different from the enormous size, you can say "It's life-sized, but it's certainly Ultraman." I think I should make it.

- Shimizu teacher, I personally figure also is so like you.

Shimizu:Yeah, I bought pretty (laughs).

Lower opening:He is not the level of the other "favorite" or "have been attracting." The amount is not a vulgaris (laughs).

Shimizu:I'm in the garage kit school since I was in elementary school, previously I was a little involved in the product development. Since there is no time to make recently I have bought just the finished product.
of coursePREMIUM BANDAIBut I do a lot of shopping (laughs). After all, there are many item that I think "I will have to buy this".

Lower opening:In that sense, it's hard work, so even when supervising, he will continue to talk with the prototype master. He was the one who originally designed the Ultraman suit, and since the technical terms come out crunchy, I thought it was studying and focused on the listening side (laughs).

Shimizu:Supervision is Tsuburaya Productions I had leave little to the person in charge of the modeling department · LSS of Dakushon (light sculpture studio). I am also the person who made the limited edition appendix figure and bust-up model of the special edition comics, so I was able to leave it with confidence.

Lower opening:It was the first time for me to make an item with movable parts so far, and there were some parts that we didn't know how far we could achieve. Therefore, it was helpful to have LSS intervene.

Shimizu:This 20 times you were our only of supervision from the beginning I think it was noisy (laughs). Acquainted also us and from a previous person of design who have made the current prototype data, I'm a person who has also been very understanding of my favorite. So, this is I think basically we leave it to be okay, and that satisfactory as expected was completed.

- Do In tell us your impressions, which have seen here in the actual prototypes.

Shimizu:I think that it is really good can.

Lower opening:Mainly in the center of the proportions, it was supervised in the form of writing a correction point on the image in our two people. Taking into account the trade-off between the movable, how far I think is difficult because what can be three-dimensional. It's move easily you were painting (laughs).

--This time, based on the color and character of the work "ULTRAMAN", "ULTRA-ACT" and "S.H.Figuarts" became the double brand "item".

Shimizu:I because it is goods from Bandai-san was a desire. The brand, which has also bought myself is glad.

Lower opening:I think that there are people who wanted figures, those who wanted a size that was easy to play like "SHFiguarts", and those who said "Because it is Ultraman, I want ULTRA-ACT". This time, I think you will be satisfied with both of them.

- Why is the color ring?

Shimizu:It finished in a good feeling.
But actually, in my image, the suit coloring was all white at first. However, when I had you make a bust model before, Shimoguchi said, "Silver is good after all." I was resisting "white is good" until the end, but when I saw the finished product painted with the same paint as the real Ultraman suit, I thought "Oh, it's cool!" (Laughs) .. So silver and red have become official colors. Silver is usually the prototype color. That's why I felt uncomfortable at first.

Lower opening:Shimizu always thinks about everything from a set theory like this. At first, Ultraman suits didn't have combs (laughs).

Shimizu:When we tried to add a face-opening ver. A.N.I.M.E., the crest got in the way (laughs), so the initial design didn't have a crest.

Lower opening:Is it was a Shimizu had taught me the importance of the Hero design.
Why is there a weapon in Gundam? And. It's strange that he doesn't attach a comb to Ultraman. So I asked him to change it.
Also, the reason why I chose silver for the coloring is that it is usually an Ultraman-like color, but because the design he draws has a lot of information, silver stands out. On the drawing side, silver is easier to get uneven and edges are easier to make than white.

[PROFILE]

Eiichi Shimizu (Shimizu Eiichi) / under opening Tomohiro (Shimoguchi-Tomohiro)
Shimizu is the original-screenplay-mechanical design, Mr. lower opening is mainly responsible for the character design and the main drawing, has created a number of works by was the breath combination. Masterpiece is "invincible Bancho Bakuraiga", "Hana of steel", "Linebarrels of Iron", "natural Pretty Mecha Roboko-chan! "Etc.

©円谷プロ